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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · hand · bark · fall · pit · lash · bass · lean

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pit — in a race
  9. hand — help
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fall — the season
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bass — low music
  21. lean — thin
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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