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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 · clip · bark · pop · fan · stand · lie · mouse

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pop — music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pop — soda
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fan — to cool the air

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