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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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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kick — in football
  7. last — final
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. last — to go on
  14. bound — certain
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bound — obliged
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — finally

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