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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. ball — a dance
  10. tube — a container
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tube — the underground
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cap — of ice
  23. ball — a great time
  24. march — music

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