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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: spring · staff · ball · bark · tube · club · last · stick

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. club — a group
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. last — final
  9. club — for golf
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — the season
  21. staff — employees
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. club — for dancing

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