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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. field — a subject
  7. rest — what's left
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. field — for sport
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. field — farmland
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. shower — to wash
  20. band — a ring
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. straw — a straw man

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