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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 116 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: sharp · firm · lash · current · hand · bark · staff · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. firm — steady
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. staff — employees
  9. sharp — clever
  10. firm — a company
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. hand — help
  15. current — electric
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. march — music
  18. bark — to shout
  19. firm — decided
  20. current — of water
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. current — happening now
  23. staff — employees
  24. sharp — with an edge

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