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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. object — an aim
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chest — of your body
  16. object — a thing
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. tube — a container
  22. chest — a box
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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