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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: jam · cell · staff · bark · deal · date · foot · mine

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cell — a phone
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. foot — a measure
  11. deal — to handle
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. staff — employees
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bark — to shout
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  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