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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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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: bound · staff · deal · wave · cell · jam · bark · last

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bark — to shout
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. last — final
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bound — obliged
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cell — in biology
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. last — finally
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — to go on
  19. bound — certain
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. staff — employees
  24. cell — a phone

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