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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cap — a lid
  3. board — a committee
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mine — for digging
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. board — to get on
  12. deal — to handle
  13. hand — help
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hand — part of the body

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