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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: net · cue · club · pop · spell · staff · object · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. net — after costs
  4. club — for dancing
  5. spell — magic
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cue — a signal
  8. staff — a stick
  9. net — in sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pop — soda
  14. spell — letters
  15. staff — employees
  16. object — a thing
  17. staff — employees
  18. bark — to shout
  19. net — for catching
  20. object — an aim
  21. club — a group
  22. spell — a short time
  23. club — for golf
  24. pop — music

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