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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 116 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 · bowl · lash · ground · pit · bear · chair · wound

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ground — a position
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pit — a hole

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