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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: cold · trunk · roll · mouse · leaves · snap · lash · bulb

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cold — not warm
  4. roll — a list
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. roll — a cake
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. snap — to click
  17. cold — an illness
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. leaves — lets stay

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