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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. race — humankind
  4. wax — to grow
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. kick — in football
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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