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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. spell — letters
  3. lie — to recline
  4. field — for sport
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — magic
  8. field — farmland
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. snap — to click
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. field — a subject

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