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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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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: object · lash · trunk · rock · net · bark · bulb · content

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. net — in sport
  4. content — happy
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rock — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. content — the amount
  12. rock — a stone
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. object — to protest
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. object — an aim
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. object — a thing
  24. trunk — 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