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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: stick · wake · calf · lash · tube · scale · bark · deal

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. deal — to handle
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bark — to shout
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. tube — a container
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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