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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wind — moving air
  3. march — music
  4. net — in sport
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. craft — a skill
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. march — the month
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. rash — a series
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rash — hasty
  24. craft — boats

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