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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: kid · lash · spring · roll · present · bark · mate · arm

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. present — a gift
  4. spring — a coil
  5. present — the time now
  6. kid — to tease
  7. spring — of water
  8. present — there
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. kid — child
  18. mate — to breed
  19. spring — the season
  20. roll — a list
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lash — to lash out

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