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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: tear · leaves · sharp · lash · spell · cabinet · wound · trunk

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spell — letters
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. spell — magic
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. trunk — of a tree

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