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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: bat · drill · cue · squash · rock · wake · trunk · roll

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wake — a trail
  4. drill — army training
  5. squash — the sport
  6. roll — a list
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cue — a hint
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rock — music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. roll — a cake
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — the animal
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wake — before a funeral

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