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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. tear — from crying
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. file — a line of people
  18. tear — from crying
  19. file — a tool
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. scale — size or range
  22. deal — to handle
  23. tear — to rip
  24. scale — in music

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