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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. last — to go on
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lie — to recline
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. last — finally
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pit — a hole
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. content — the amount
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. content — happy
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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