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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: ball · staff · craft · pitcher · hide · prune · lie · bark

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — employees
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ball — a dance
  5. staff — employees
  6. lie — to recline
  7. prune — to trim
  8. staff — a stick
  9. craft — a skill
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. craft — boats
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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