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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. net — in sport
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. net — after costs
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. dip — to sink
  14. face — to confront
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pound — a weight
  22. net — for catching
  23. face — to point toward
  24. dip — to dunk

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