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

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. current — of water
  4. spell — letters
  5. wax — to grow
  6. current — electric
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. firm — steady
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mug — a cup
  13. current — happening now
  14. mug — a face
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mug — to rob

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