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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hide · lash · squash · degree · object · bulb · ground

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ground — the earth
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — to crush
  11. ground — crushed
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bark — to shout
  14. object — a thing
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. object — an aim
  21. ground — a position
  22. object — to protest
  23. bulb — for light
  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