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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 124 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bank — for money
  7. swing — music
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bark — to shout
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. root — the cause
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bank — of a river
  20. spell — magic
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bank — for money
  23. root — of a word
  24. lash — to lash out

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