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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. scale — in music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bark — to shout
  23. scale — size or range
  24. coach — a trainer

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