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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. spell — letters
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. swing — music
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. spell — magic
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kid — child
  24. lash — an eyelash

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