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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: kick · club · lie · pitcher · lash · bark · swing · roll

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. roll — a list
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. roll — a cake
  11. swing — to play on
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kick — in football
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. club — a group
  18. swing — in golf
  19. club — for golf
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. club — for dancing
  24. swing — music

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