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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. saw — the tool
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. sharp — clever
  13. saw — the tool
  14. craft — a skill
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — to shout
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — boats
  23. mate — to breed
  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