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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: leaves · lash · shower · chest · rock · kick · trunk · wake

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rock — music
  4. chest — a box
  5. shower — rain
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. kick — in football
  10. rock — a stone
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kick — a thrill

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