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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 · ball · rock · roll · face · bark · mouse · rush

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bark — to shout
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rock — music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. face — to confront
  23. roll — a list
  24. mouse — for a computer

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