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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chest — of your body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. ground — the earth
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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