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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. staff — a stick
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fall — the season
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. staff — employees
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hand — help
  19. fall — to drop
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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