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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: wave · bark · lash · fine · swing · court · leaves · deal

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fine — high quality
  10. court — for sport
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. court — of law
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. fine — all right
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. swing — music
  23. bark — to shout
  24. leaves — of a tree

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