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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 124 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stand — to bear
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — wild animals
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mark — a trace
  16. game — a match
  17. pound — a weight
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. cabinet — ministers

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