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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. track — a path
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. track — a song
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chair — a professorship

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