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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 120 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: wound · mine · present · bear · staff · pass · bark · lean

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. staff — employees
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. staff — employees
  14. lean — to bend
  15. present — a gift
  16. lean — thin
  17. present — there
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. mine — for digging
  20. present — the time now
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pass — a permit

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