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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. present — the time now
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. row — a line
  8. bank — for money
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. present — there
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. present — a gift
  17. bank — for money
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. squash — the sport
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bank — of a river

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