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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. last — to go on
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — to wash
  11. drill — army training
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. shower — rain
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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