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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 116 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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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: present · lash · bass · fall · mouse · bark · racket · wound

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bass — the fish
  9. present — there
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bark — to shout
  15. present — a gift
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bass — low music
  21. fall — the season
  22. present — the time now
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wound — an injury

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