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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 124 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mate — to breed
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. track — a song
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. snap — to click
  10. shower — rain
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. track — to keep track
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mate — a friend
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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