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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: deal · bark · fall · staff · squash · date · stick · mine

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. deal — to handle
  7. squash — to crush
  8. fall — to drop
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fall — the season
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fall — to drop
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. deal — an agreement

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