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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: ground · foot · hide · spring · bark · staff · pit · can

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ground — crushed
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. ground — the earth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. can — a tin
  12. staff — a stick
  13. ground — a position
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spring — the season
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pit — in a race
  24. staff — employees

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