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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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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 · snap · cap · mouse · fork · staff · wound · land

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. land — a country
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. staff — employees
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cap — a lid
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. staff — employees
  15. land — to come down
  16. snap — to click
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — ground
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wound — an injury

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