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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · wake · field · cabinet · bark · current · dip · bowl

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. current — happening now
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. field — for sport
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. current — of water
  12. field — farmland
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. field — a subject
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. dip — to sink
  19. current — electric
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bark — to shout
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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