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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: coach · degree · season · spring · bark · staff · fine · stick

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. degree — an amount
  5. staff — employees
  6. fine — high quality
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fine — all right
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spring — a coil
  13. staff — employees
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bark — to shout
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. degree — from a university
  20. staff — a stick
  21. spring — the season
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spring — of water

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