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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bear — the animal
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bank — for money
  13. snap — to click
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bank — for money
  17. bear — the animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bank — of a river
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pit — in a race

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