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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 116 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: staff · spell · perch · march · bulb · bark · bat · lash

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. staff — employees
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bark — to shout
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bulb — for light
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — music
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. staff — a stick
  13. march — the month
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. staff — employees
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. spell — letters
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lash — to lash out

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