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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — to recline
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. plane — a tool
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fork — in a road
  20. march — music
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. march — the month
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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