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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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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: pop · lean · wound · lash · rule · spell · trunk · wake

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lean — thin
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pop — soda
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wake — a trail
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spell — letters
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spell — magic
  20. rule — government
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rule — a law
  23. pop — music
  24. rule — to rule out

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