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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. club — for dancing
  5. squash — the sport
  6. club — a group
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. snap — to click
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mine — for digging
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. lean — thin
  19. bark — to shout
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. club — for golf
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wake — a trail

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