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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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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: pound · cabinet · chest · lean · fork · key · staff · bark

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. lean — thin
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fork — in a road
  20. staff — a stick
  21. key — in music
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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