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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. staff — employees
  3. fall — the season
  4. drill — army training
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fork — in a road
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — employees
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. staff — a stick
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. hide — to keep secret

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