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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. staff — employees
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — hasty
  8. spell — letters
  9. bass — the fish
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. staff — employees
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rash — a series
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bass — low music
  22. tube — a container
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stand — to bear

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