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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bass — low music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lean — thin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fine — all right
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bark — of a tree

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