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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rock — a stone
  7. dip — to sink
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rock — music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. game — a match
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. field — farmland
  24. trunk — of a car

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