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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. swing — to play on
  3. saw — the tool
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wake — a trail
  7. roll — a list
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. degree — temperature
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. degree — from a university
  17. swing — music
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. degree — an amount

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