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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bark — to shout
  6. kid — child
  7. staff — employees
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bound — certain
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. drill — army training
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — in biology
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hide — animal skin

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