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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. craft — boats
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cold — an illness
  11. land — to come down
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ball — a dance
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ball — a great time
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. land — ground
  18. fall — to drop
  19. land — a country
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fall — the season

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