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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bear — the animal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. shower — rain
  19. rush — hurry
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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