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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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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. land — ground
  9. suit — clothes
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bark — to shout
  14. land — a country
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. suit — to fit
  19. clip — a video
  20. rush — hurry
  21. saw — the tool
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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