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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bark — to shout
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. court — of law
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pound — a weight
  16. court — of a king
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. court — for sport
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. craft — boats

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