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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — rain
  3. cue — for pool
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rest — a break
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. branch — a division
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. staff — employees
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. hide — animal skin

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