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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rash — hasty
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. press — newspapers
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. court — of law
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fall — the season
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. press — to push
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — a publisher
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rash — a series
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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