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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: can · snap · hand · cabinet · staff · court · wave · bark

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. court — for sport
  6. snap — to click
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — of law
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. staff — a stick
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. staff — employees
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. court — of a king
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. can — a tin

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