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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spring — the season
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pass — a permit
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mark — a grade
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. spring — of water
  24. prune — the fruit

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