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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. roll — a cake
  4. row — a line
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mine — for digging
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mark — a grade
  9. roll — a list
  10. can — a tin
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. can — a tin
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mark — a trace
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bark — to shout

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