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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. staff — a stick
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — a series
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pass — a permit
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. scale — in music
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — hasty
  14. staff — employees
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. staff — employees
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — a skill
  20. row — to paddle
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. craft — boats
  24. scale — size or range

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