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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. staff — employees
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — the fish
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stand — to bear
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bass — low music
  15. staff — a stick
  16. vault — a safe
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. staff — employees
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. kick — in football
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. prune — to trim

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