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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: spring · bay · pound · staff · bat · rush · fork · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. staff — employees
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. spring — the season
  24. staff — employees

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