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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. dip — to sink
  4. track — to keep track
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rash — a series
  14. track — a song
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rash — hasty
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hide — to keep secret

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