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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mine — for digging
  4. current — happening now
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. current — electric
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bark — to shout
  10. current — of water
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. snap — to click
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. season — in sport
  18. pass — a permit
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pass — to spend time

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