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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spring — of water
  6. swing — music
  7. ground — a position
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. swing — to play on
  10. spring — the season
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. spring — a coil
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wake — a trail
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bark — to shout
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kid — child

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