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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. last — finally
  3. lean — thin
  4. field — for sport
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. snap — to click
  8. field — farmland
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. last — final
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. band — a music group
  13. stock — goods
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stock — shares
  16. last — to go on
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. field — a subject
  19. band — a ring
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. band — a rubber band
  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