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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. club — for golf
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. club — for dancing
  9. key — for a lock
  10. current — of water
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. root — of a plant
  15. key — the most important part
  16. current — electric
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. current — happening now
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. club — a group
  24. key — 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