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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bank — for money
  4. spring — a coil
  5. net — for catching
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kid — child
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. spring — of water
  12. prune — to trim
  13. net — in sport
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. spring — the season
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — rain
  21. bark — to shout
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kid — to tease
  24. net — after costs

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