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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · stick · bore · trunk · game · racket · snap · fan

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. snap — to click
  13. game — wild animals
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com