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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. swing — music
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bear — the animal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bark — to shout
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bear — the animal

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