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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spell — letters
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. content — happy
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bear — the animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. content — the amount
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. spell — magic
  24. cell — in biology

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