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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. track — a path
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. root — of a plant
  6. drill — the tool
  7. season — in sport
  8. drill — a practice
  9. root — the cause
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cap — a hat
  12. drill — army training
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. season — of the year
  18. track — a song
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. root — of a word
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lash — to lash out

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