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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. band — a music group
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ball — a great time
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a ring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ball — a dance
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. perch — the fish
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. ball — a round shape

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