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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — of the year
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. snap — to click
  9. land — a country
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — ground
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. season — in sport
  16. staff — a stick
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. land — to come down
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chair — a professorship

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