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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — farmland
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bank — for money
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. charge — in control
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bank — for money
  18. net — in sport
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bank — of a river
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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