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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: hide · leaves · drill · kid · lash · club · foot · bark

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. kid — child
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. foot — a measure
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. kid — to tease
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. club — for golf
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. drill — army training
  24. foot — the bottom

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