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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a dance
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. ball — a great time
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. file — a line of people
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. field — a subject
  15. file — a document
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. field — farmland
  19. file — a tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. field — for sport
  24. trunk — of a car

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