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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. bark — to shout
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. staff — employees
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. charge — a price
  8. face — to point toward
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mark — a trace
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mark — a grade
  14. kid — child
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. face — to confront
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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