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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. staff — a stick
  4. saw — the tool
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — to play on
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. row — to paddle
  10. swing — music
  11. staff — employees
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. row — a line
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — employees
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mine — for digging
  24. 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