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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: stand · fine · staff · hand · bark · cold · snap · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bark — to shout
  4. snap — to click
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fine — high quality
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. staff — employees
  19. fine — all right
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cold — an illness
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lash — an eyelash

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