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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. scale — in music
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mine — for digging
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. lash — to lash out

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