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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: bowl · rock · patient · lash · hand · net · land · bark

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. net — after costs
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. land — a country
  11. net — in sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rock — music
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. land — to come down
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. land — ground
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bark — to shout

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