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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.

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: season · spring · bark · perch · wake · lash · bore · swing

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. season — of the year
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. swing — music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bore — to tire
  10. spring — the season
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bark — to shout
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. spring — of water
  19. season — in sport
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bore — to drill
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lash — an eyelash

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