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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. current — happening now
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a song
  9. race — humankind
  10. bark — to shout
  11. race — the arms race
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hand — help
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. current — electric
  19. track — a path
  20. bulb — for light
  21. current — of water
  22. bulb — for light
  23. race — a contest
  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