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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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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: stick · lean · ruler · hand · lash · bark · wound · bulb

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. hand — help
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bark — of a tree

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