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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cap — of ice
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. file — a document
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cap — a lid
  15. lean — thin
  16. file — a tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lean — to bend

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