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

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cold — an illness
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bulb — for light
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lie — to recline
  10. last — to go on
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cold — not warm
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. last — finally
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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