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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. row — a line
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. march — music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. march — the month
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. prune — to trim
  22. shower — rain
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — a trail

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