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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: pitcher · game · date · bark · spring · lash · mug · land

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. date — the fruit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — of water
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spring — a coil
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. land — to come down
  12. mug — to rob
  13. spring — the season
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. game — a match
  17. mug — a face
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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