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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. swing — in golf
  9. can — a tin
  10. swing — music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. can — a tin
  14. swing — to play on
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. root — the cause
  19. march — the month
  20. can — to be able to
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bark — to shout
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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