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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cap — a lid
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lie — to recline
  12. club — for dancing
  13. clip — to cut
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cap — of ice
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. club — a group
  22. clip — a video
  23. cap — a hat
  24. club — for golf

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