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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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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: rush · wake · staff · bark · craft · stand · coach · hand

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bark — to shout
  7. craft — boats
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. staff — a stick
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. craft — a skill
  14. staff — employees
  15. hand — help
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stand — to bear
  24. rush — a thrill

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