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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: bark · straw · rock · spring · net · row · drill · lash

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. row — to paddle
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. net — in sport
  9. row — a line
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rock — a stone
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spring — of water
  21. net — for catching
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. net — after costs

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