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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. kid — child
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. scale — in music
  11. season — of the year
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. current — of water
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. current — happening now
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. kid — to tease
  21. current — electric
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bark — of a tree

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