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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 · rash · shower · arm · fine · lash · cell · content

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fine — high quality
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fine — all right
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rash — a series
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. content — happy
  18. shower — rain
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. content — the amount
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cell — a phone

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