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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · rash · pitcher · lash · snap · clip · lean · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lean — thin
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rash — a series
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. clip — a video
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lean — to bend

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