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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. row — to paddle
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. root — of a word
  6. spell — a short time
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. snap — to click
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. race — a contest
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. row — a line
  18. root — the cause
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cell — a phone
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. root — of a plant

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