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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · ball · fine · wound · cell · lash

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fine — high quality
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wound — an injury
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cell — a phone
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cell — in biology
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lash — to lash out

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