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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. fall — the season
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spell — a short time
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. spell — letters
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fall — to drop
  19. field — for sport
  20. deal — to handle
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. field — a subject
  23. ball — a great time
  24. spell — magic

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