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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 · staff · cold · race · lash · net · bark · jam

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. race — humankind
  10. staff — employees
  11. cold — not warm
  12. race — a contest
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. race — the arms race
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. staff — a stick
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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