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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. charge — a price
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. current — of water
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bank — for money
  7. current — happening now
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. charge — in control
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bulb — for light
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. spring — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. spring — a coil
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. bulb — of a plant

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