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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. can — a tin
  9. rest — a break
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. capital — a city
  14. shower — rain
  15. can — a tin
  16. capital — money
  17. shower — to wash
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fork — in a road

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