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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mine — for digging
  6. current — electric
  7. spell — letters
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bark — to shout
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. ground — crushed
  17. suit — to fit
  18. current — happening now
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. spell — magic
  21. suit — clothes
  22. current — of water
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

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