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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: deal · lash · club · calf · bark · stock · game · arm

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stock — shares
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stock — goods
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. club — for golf
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. club — a group
  22. game — a match
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lash — an eyelash

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