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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cold — not warm
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bark — to shout
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wind — moving air
  12. net — for catching
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. net — after costs
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. toast — bread
  19. net — in sport
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wind — moving air

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