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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: craft · lash · straw · pound · bark · staff · board · hand

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. board — a committee
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hand — in cards
  14. board — to get on
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pound — a weight
  21. craft — boats
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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