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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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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: club · bark · court · lash · fork · bass · present · stick

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fork — in a road
  3. present — the time now
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. club — for golf
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bass — the fish
  8. court — for sport
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. present — a gift
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. club — for dancing
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. present — there
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bass — low music
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. club — a group
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fork — to eat with

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