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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 · row · mark · object · mine · shower · swing · lash

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. row — to paddle
  5. object — a thing
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. row — a line
  13. swing — music
  14. shower — rain
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mark — a trace
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mark — a grade
  23. object — an aim
  24. shower — to wash

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