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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.

Make a worksheet

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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. bound — certain
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. row — a line
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. row — to paddle
  8. staff — employees
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. drill — army training
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bark — to shout

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