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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rash — a series
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stock — goods
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bark — to shout
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stock — shares
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — the season

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