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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pop — soda
  5. wound — an injury
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. face — to confront
  8. rest — a break
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. squash — to crush
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pop — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pop — to visit
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. squash — the sport

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