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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: bark · bore · staff · pitcher · hand · firm · chair · trunk

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. staff — employees
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. staff — employees
  10. firm — decided
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bore — to tire
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. firm — steady
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. staff — a stick
  23. firm — a company
  24. bark — to shout

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