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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. race — a contest
  4. pop — soda
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. race — the arms race
  12. tear — from crying
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. tear — to rip
  15. dip — to sink
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. race — humankind
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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