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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fall — the season
  3. firm — a company
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stock — goods
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. firm — steady
  12. club — a group
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. staff — employees
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. club — for golf
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. firm — decided
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — shares
  24. plane — a tool

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