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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fork — in a road
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. face — to point toward
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. face — to confront
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. lash — an eyelash

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