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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mate — a friend
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mate — a partner
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bound — certain
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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