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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: present · bark · swing · wound · staff · rush · sharp · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. pop — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — to visit
  5. present — there
  6. pop — soda
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. present — a gift
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rush — hurry
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. present — the time now
  23. staff — a stick
  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