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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — a path
  5. bank — of a river
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. staff — a stick
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. present — a gift
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fine — all right
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bark — to shout
  17. present — there
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. track — a song
  23. present — the time now
  24. bank — for money

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