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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.

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: lash · wave · hide · kick · net · bark · saw · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bark — to shout
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. net — after costs
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — for catching
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. kick — in football
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. net — in sport

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