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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pound — a weight
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bank — of a river
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ball — a dance
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. content — the amount
  14. bank — for money
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bank — for money
  22. content — happy
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pound — for dogs

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