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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. dip — to sink
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cold — an illness
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bark — to shout
  18. season — in sport
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — to add flavour

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