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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: mouse · march · bark · snap · coach · lash · bank · toast

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bank — for money
  3. bark — to shout
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. snap — to click
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. march — the month
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bank — for money
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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