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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bark — to shout
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. field — for sport
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. field — farmland
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ball — a great time
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. field — a subject

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