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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. current — electric
  3. season — in sport
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fork — in a road
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. season — of the year
  9. rule — government
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rule — a law
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. staff — employees
  18. current — of water
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. current — happening now
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. staff — employees

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