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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: march · bear · hide · perch · squash · tube · lash · bark

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. perch — the fish
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. tube — a container
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bear — the animal
  16. march — music
  17. squash — the sport
  18. march — the month
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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