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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. hand — in cards
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rock — music
  9. cell — in biology
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rock — a stone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. perch — the fish
  21. squash — the sport
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. hand — help
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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