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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. deal — to handle
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. degree — from a university
  19. date — the fruit
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bore — to tire
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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