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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. band — a music group
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. band — a ring
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spring — a coil

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