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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cue — for pool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cue — a hint
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. tube — a container
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. clip — a video
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. current — electric

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