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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. kid — to tease
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. perch — the fish
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. kid — child
  20. deal — to handle
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stem — to come from

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