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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bark — to shout
  4. band — a music group
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wake — a trail
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. band — a ring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. current — happening now
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. date — the fruit
  19. land — a country
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. racket — for tennis

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