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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: wound · content · lash · mate · bulb · ruler · bark · squash

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — a partner
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bark — to shout
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wound — an injury

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