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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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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 · lean · hide · lash · craft · cold · root · key

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. lean — thin
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. key — in music
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cold — not warm
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. root — of a plant
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lean — to bend
  16. root — of a word
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. key — for a lock
  21. root — the cause
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cold — an illness
  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