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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pop — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pop — soda
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stand — to bear
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pass — a permit
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. clip — a video
  24. arm — part of the body

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