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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: cap · bay · face · lash · pop · bark · wound · can

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cap — of ice
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bark — to shout
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wound — an injury
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pop — music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. face — to confront
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. can — a tin
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pop — soda

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