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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: content · bark · bat · tear · net · safe · suit · lash

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. tear — from crying
  3. net — in sport
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. net — after costs
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. content — the amount
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. net — for catching
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. tear — from crying
  20. content — happy
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. suit — to fit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. suit — clothes

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