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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. spring — the season
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. spring — of water
  7. staff — employees
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. suit — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. bark — to shout
  12. staff — employees
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spring — a coil
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bark — 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