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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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Word bank
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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: bark · mine · sharp · suit · lash · wound · court · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — of a king
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bark — to shout
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. firm — steady
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — for digging
  20. suit — in cards
  21. firm — decided
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — an injury

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