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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. drill — army training
  5. cap — a hat
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. branch — a division
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. drill — the tool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cap — a lid
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cap — of ice

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