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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: chest · bark · sharp · staff · fan · rush · lean · perch

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bark — to shout
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. staff — employees
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. staff — a stick
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rush — hurry
  24. sharp — clever

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