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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. swing — in golf
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. foot — a measure
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wind — moving air

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