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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: cabinet · net · sharp · bark · hand · trunk · key · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. key — in music
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. net — for catching
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. net — in sport
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. key — for a lock
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bark — to shout
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — after costs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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