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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. can — a tin
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. march — music
  6. can — a tin
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. court — of law
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. plane — a tool
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. march — the month
  18. hand — help
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. bark — to shout

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