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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. field — for sport
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. field — farmland
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. kick — in football
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. field — a subject
  11. ground — the earth
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bore — to drill
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. clip — a video
  20. ground — a position
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ground — crushed
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. clip — to cut

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