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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bank — for money
  4. bass — low music
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rash — a series
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rule — a law
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bass — the fish
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cell — a phone
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rule — government
  20. bank — for money
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bass — the instrument

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