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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — of water
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. toast — bread
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bound — certain
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kid — child
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bound — tied together

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