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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rock — music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. net — after costs
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. net — in sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bark — to shout

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