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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fall — the season
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — to drop
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fall — to drop
  13. snap — to click
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. current — of water
  17. cold — not warm
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. current — electric
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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