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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. current — of water
  10. bound — certain
  11. perch — the fish
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mine — for digging
  17. game — a match
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. sharp — clever
  21. current — electric
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. perch — for a bird

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