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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. shower — rain
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. field — a subject
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wake — a trail
  16. season — of the year
  17. field — for sport
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. season — in sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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