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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: pass · tear · net · cabinet · lash · racket · bark · row

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. net — in sport
  6. bark — to shout
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tear — to rip
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — for catching
  19. row — a line
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pass — a permit
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cabinet — ministers

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