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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: staff · game · bark · squash · mark · rash · stand · craft

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bark — to shout
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mark — a grade
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. craft — boats
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. squash — to crush
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rash — hasty
  24. game — wild animals

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