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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rock — music
  3. staff — a stick
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chest — of your body
  8. staff — employees
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. vault — a safe
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bark — to shout
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chest — of your body
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. chest — a box
  21. bound — obliged
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rock — a stone
  24. patient — a sick person

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