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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 116 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. content — happy
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. tube — a container
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. staff — employees
  14. content — the amount
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bound — obliged
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rash — a series
  24. field — farmland

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