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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: wind · row · wave · lash · trunk · bulb · bat · staff

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bulb — for light
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wind — moving air
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. row — a line
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bulb — for light

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