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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. field — farmland
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. field — a subject
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rock — music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. date — the fruit
  22. field — for sport
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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