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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: lash · pitcher · ground · wound · foot · trunk · roll · rush

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — the earth
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rush — hurry
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — a position
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — a list

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