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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rule — a law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rule — government
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. stem — to come from
  10. staff — employees
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bark — to shout
  17. staff — employees
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. staff — a stick
  20. march — music
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stem — a stem cell

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