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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. dip — to sink
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wax — to grow
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chest — a box
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. branch — a division
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pitch — a sports field

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