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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. shower — rain
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. ball — a dance
  20. hand — help
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. ball — a great time
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. patient — a sick person

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