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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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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bank — for money
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. last — final
  5. ground — the earth
  6. staff — employees
  7. bank — for money
  8. last — finally
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. club — a group
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bank — of a river
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — to go on

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