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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. current — happening now
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stock — shares
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. current — of water
  11. clip — a video
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stock — goods
  17. clip — to cut
  18. current — electric

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