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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. staff — employees
  3. spell — letters
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. tear — from crying
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. staff — a stick
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — to rip
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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