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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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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lean — thin
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. game — a match
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rash — a series
  18. cue — a signal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. prune — to trim

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