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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ground — a position
  6. bark — to shout
  7. present — the time now
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rest — a break
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. shower — rain
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rest — what's left

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