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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · lash · cap · root · kick · snap · bark · pop

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cap — of ice
  6. toast — bread
  7. snap — to click
  8. root — of a plant
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pop — soda
  14. cap — a lid
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pop — music
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. kick — in football
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pop — to visit
  24. lash — an eyelash

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