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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. club — for dancing
  3. current — electric
  4. bark — to shout
  5. club — for golf
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. club — a group
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — help
  12. current — happening now
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. hand — in cards
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bank — for money
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bank — of a river
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pop — music

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