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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · leaves · lash · row · fork · bark · mate · hand

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mate — a partner
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fork — in a road
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hand — help
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. row — a line
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. row — a quarrel

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