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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · arm · track · bulb · bay · mine · march · bark

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bark — to shout
  6. track — to keep track
  7. staff — employees
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. track — a song
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. march — the month
  21. staff — a stick
  22. march — the month
  23. track — a path
  24. march — music

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