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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stand — to bear
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — farmland
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rash — a series
  13. rule — government
  14. field — a subject
  15. rash — hasty
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rule — a law
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — for sport

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