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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: dip · staff · ruler · ground · lash · fine · bark · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. staff — employees
  3. bark — to shout
  4. ground — a position
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fine — all right
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spring — the season
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ground — the earth
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. dip — a sauce

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