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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 124 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wake — a trail
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. current — happening now
  12. file — a tool
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. file — a document
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. current — of water
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. current — electric

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