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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. net — for catching
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. branch — a division
  11. net — in sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. net — after costs
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bark — to shout
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. band — a music group
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. saw — the tool

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