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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stand — to bear
  3. current — of water
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. current — electric
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. tube — the underground
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. perch — the fish
  14. current — happening now
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. straw — dry grass

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