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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. staff — employees
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. craft — boats
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. object — an aim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. object — a thing
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. march — the month
  21. staff — employees
  22. object — to protest
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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