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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: saw · trunk · lash · kid · wave · cold · nail · rest

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cold — not warm
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kid — child
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rest — a break
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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