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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: band · deal · bay · snap · mouse · court · perch · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. snap — to click
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. court — for sport
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. court — of a king
  12. perch — the fish
  13. court — of law
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. band — a music group
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. band — a ring

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