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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 120 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bark — to shout
  3. current — happening now
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pop — to visit
  7. present — there
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ball — a dance
  11. present — a gift
  12. current — of water
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. present — the time now
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. branch — a division
  19. scale — in music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. current — electric
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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