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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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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: wound · hand · pitcher · lash · date · trunk · bowl · press

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. press — to push
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. hand — help
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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