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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. club — for golf
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rash — hasty
  9. tear — from crying
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — a group
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. club — for dancing
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — a series
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tear — from crying
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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