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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. spell — letters
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hand — in cards
  9. press — newspapers
  10. spell — a short time
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. press — to push
  19. foot — a measure
  20. swing — music
  21. press — a publisher
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spell — magic
  24. trunk — of a tree

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