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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · lash · toast · pitcher · march · perch · bark · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. march — the month
  5. bark — to shout
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. spring — a coil
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — soda
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. toast — bread
  12. spring — of water
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. spring — the season
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. march — music
  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