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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: lash · pitcher · content · trunk · spring · wake · cap · snap

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. 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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spring — of water
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. snap — to click
  12. content — the amount
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spring — the season
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wake — a trail
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. content — happy
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. 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