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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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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 · snap · march · club · vault · lash · wound · hide

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. march — the month
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. snap — to click
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wound — an injury
  10. club — a group
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. club — for golf
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. march — music
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. vault — a safe

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