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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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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: nail · spell · kid · bark · lash · rule · bay · squash

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. spell — magic
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kid — child
  9. rule — government
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rule — a law
  22. squash — the sport
  23. spell — letters
  24. squash — to crush

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