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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. root — the cause
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cap — a lid
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. root — of a word
  17. wake — a trail
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cap — of ice

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