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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 · kid · arm · lash · swing · bulb · lie · file

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. lie — to recline
  3. swing — in golf
  4. kid — child
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. swing — music
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. kid — to tease
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. file — a tool
  20. swing — to play on
  21. file — a document
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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