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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: staff · spring · saw · season · nail · club · cabinet · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. club — a group
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — of water
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. saw — the tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. bark — to shout
  14. season — in sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spring — the season
  17. club — for golf
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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