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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 120 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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — magic
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bat — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. spell — letters
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. spell — a short time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. fan — a supporter

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