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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: bark · mate · wake · pop · court · bowl · perch · lash

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pop — soda
  4. court — for sport
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pop — music
  11. court — of a king
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of law
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pop — to visit
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bowl — a football final

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