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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: staff · bark · game · hand · foot · bulb · scale · ground

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. bulb — of a plant
  2. scale — in music
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — a match
  10. bulb — for light
  11. foot — a measure
  12. ground — a position
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hand — help
  16. bulb — for light
  17. hand — in cards
  18. game — wild animals
  19. ground — crushed
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. game — a kind of play
  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