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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. snap — to click
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wound — an injury
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. roll — a list
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lash — to lash out

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