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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. capital — a city
  6. rock — a stone
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. scale — in music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. spell — magic
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rock — music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. capital — money
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. spell — letters
  24. staff — employees

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