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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: row · hand · rush · fan · track · staff · club · bark

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hand — help
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. track — a path
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. club — for golf
  13. row — a line
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. track — to keep track
  19. row — to paddle
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. track — a song

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