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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pop — music
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. drill — the tool
  7. spring — of water
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. drill — a practice
  10. spring — the season
  11. net — after costs
  12. spell — magic
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. spell — letters
  16. net — in sport
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. drill — army training
  20. net — for catching
  21. pop — soda
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bowl — a football final

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