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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: lash · wave · cell · kid · fork · wind · trunk · content

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. content — happy
  11. kid — child
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cell — in biology
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wind — moving air
  23. content — the amount
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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