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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. season — in sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. track — a path
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. spell — magic
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — letters
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spell — a short time
  22. season — of the year
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. field — for sport

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