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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wake — a trail
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. dip — to sink
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. field — farmland
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — obliged
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. land — ground
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. field — a subject
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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