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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 120 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pound — a weight
  5. present — a gift
  6. current — of water
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. tube — a container
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. present — the time now
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. current — happening now
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — to shout
  18. present — there
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. current — electric
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pound — to hit hard

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