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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 120 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: lash · file · bark · bear · row · pitcher · rash · ball

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. ball — a dance
  12. file — a tool
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. row — to paddle
  17. file — a document
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. row — a line
  24. ball — a great time

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