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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pound — a weight
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chip — for betting
  13. shower — rain
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bass — low music
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wind — to turn a key

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