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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: fan · hide · wind · pop · club · trunk · stick · lash

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. club — a group
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. club — for dancing
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — soda
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. club — for golf

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