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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. kid — child
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mate — a friend
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — a series
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rash — hasty

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