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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. current — electric
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. file — a line of people
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. lean — to bend
  7. band — a music group
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. fork — in a road
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a ring
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bark — to shout
  18. file — a tool
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. file — a document
  23. lean — thin
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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