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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 120 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: lash · trunk · bat · sharp · chair · last · mouse · rest

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. sharp — clever
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. last — final
  12. bat — the animal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. last — finally
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rest — a break
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rest — what's left

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