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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. file — a line of people
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. rush — hurry
  11. file — a document
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. rash — a series
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. file — a tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. spring — a coil

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