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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rash — hasty
  6. club — a group
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — for golf
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bound — certain
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bark — to shout
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — a series

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