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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 124 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: bark · staff · temple · straw · bulb · pitcher · band · object

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. staff — a stick
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. object — an aim
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. band — a music group
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a ring
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. staff — employees
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pitcher — a jug

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