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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bark — to shout
  3. current — electric
  4. hand — in cards
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. current — happening now
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. tube — a container
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stock — shares
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — help
  14. current — of water
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stock — goods
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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