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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. court — for sport
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bank — of a river
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bank — for money
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. row — to paddle
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a line
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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