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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: pass · spell · bark · mark · hand · snap · row · staff

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spell — magic
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hand — in cards
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — to shout
  11. row — a line
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. staff — employees
  15. row — to paddle
  16. hand — help
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. spell — letters
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mark — a grade
  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