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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ball · bark · stick · key · mouse · lash · straw · wound

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ball — a dance
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. key — in music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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