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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: jam · leaves · trunk · field · mine · lash · straw · bay

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. field — a subject
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. field — farmland
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. field — for sport
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lash — an eyelash

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