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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mark — a grade
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wind — moving air
  11. object — an aim
  12. game — a match
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. object — to protest
  19. bark — to shout
  20. row — to paddle
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. row — a line

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