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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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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: wake · trunk · bay · kid · cell · club · bat · bear

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. club — for golf
  4. kid — child
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bear — the animal
  14. club — a group
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bat — the animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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