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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. field — for sport
  4. mug — to rob
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. field — a subject
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mug — a cup
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. squash — the sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mug — a face
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. squash — the vegetable

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