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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 120 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rash — hasty
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rock — music
  19. rash — a series
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. shower — rain
  23. row — a line
  24. last — final

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