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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mug · track · staff · cabinet · rash · ground · band

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. staff — employees
  3. mug — a face
  4. track — a song
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rash — a series
  8. staff — employees
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. band — a ring
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ground — crushed
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. band — a music group
  20. mug — a cup
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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