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

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a dance
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fall — the season
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ball — a great time
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chest — a box
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bark — to shout
  23. prune — to trim
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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