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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 120 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. staff — a stick
  4. root — of a word
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bank — of a river
  9. clip — a video
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bank — for money
  15. root — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. root — the cause
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bank — for money
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. clip — for paper
  23. staff — employees
  24. bark — of a tree

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