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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. shower — rain
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. shower — to wash
  7. roll — a list
  8. lie — to recline
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. date — the fruit
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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