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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — a video
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mouse — for a computer

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