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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 120 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: pit · swing · firm · last · bark · board · lash · bear

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. firm — steady
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pit — in a race
  5. firm — decided
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. swing — to play on
  10. last — final
  11. board — to get on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. swing — music
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. board — a committee
  20. last — to go on
  21. firm — a company
  22. swing — in golf
  23. last — finally
  24. bear — the animal

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