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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ground — a position
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. craft — boats
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — a line
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rest — a break
  14. fork — in a road
  15. staff — employees
  16. hand — help
  17. craft — a skill
  18. ground — the earth
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. ground — crushed
  23. staff — employees
  24. bark — 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