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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cue — a signal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cue — for pool
  7. clip — a video
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cue — a hint
  14. squash — the sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. clip — for paper
  18. squash — to crush
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. shower — rain
  23. clip — to cut
  24. lash — an eyelash

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