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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. kid — child
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. drill — the tool
  9. craft — boats
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. craft — a skill
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. press — to push
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. press — a publisher
  20. content — happy
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. content — the amount
  23. drill — army training
  24. bass — the instrument

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