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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. 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. drill — the tool
  2. current — of water
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rest — what's left
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. squash — the sport
  8. current — electric
  9. spell — magic
  10. track — to keep track
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. track — a path
  13. spell — letters
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. drill — a practice
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. current — happening now
  18. spell — a short time
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. drill — army training
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. 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