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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.

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: chest · sharp · wake · bark · mug · chair · pass · lash

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mug — a face
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bark — to shout
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mug — to rob
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pass — a permit
  23. sharp — clever
  24. chair — a professorship

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