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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. 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. nail — for a hammer
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. current — of water
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. club — for golf
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. club — a group
  11. bark — to shout
  12. current — happening now
  13. track — to keep track
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — a path
  16. current — electric
  17. club — for dancing
  18. 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