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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. staff — employees
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. shower — to wash
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bank — of a river
  10. staff — employees
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spell — letters
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. bark — to shout
  17. shower — rain
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bank — for money
  20. spell — magic
  21. track — a song
  22. ground — a position
  23. track — a path
  24. leaves — lets stay

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