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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spring — of water
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mate — a partner
  11. key — in music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. spring — a coil
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spring — the season
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lash — an eyelash

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