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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 120 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. staff — employees
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cue — a hint
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stand — to bear
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. cap — a lid
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. staff — employees
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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