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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. staff — a stick
  3. squash — the sport
  4. firm — decided
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. file — a tool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. squash — to crush
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. firm — steady
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. branch — a division
  19. file — a document
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. staff — employees
  24. file — a line of people

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