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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bark — to shout
  3. kid — child
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. kid — to tease
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. march — the month
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. swing — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fork — to eat with

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