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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rock — music
  11. object — a thing
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. object — to protest
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — a trail
  18. object — an aim
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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