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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 120 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cell — a phone
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lean — to bend
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lean — thin
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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