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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rock — music
  7. drill — army training
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rock — a stone
  17. shower — to wash
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. shower — rain
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lash — to lash out

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