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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. staff — employees
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bass — the fish
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bass — low music
  8. row — a line
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bank — of a river
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bank — for money
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bank — for money
  23. saw — the tool
  24. leaves — of a tree

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