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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lean — thin
  3. bark — to shout
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. track — a path
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. track — a song
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. row — to paddle
  17. track — to keep track
  18. row — a line
  19. lean — to bend
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. prune — to trim
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lean — to rest against

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