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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cold — not warm
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bass — low music
  9. charge — a price
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bark — to shout
  14. current — happening now
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bass — the fish
  17. current — electric
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. current — of water
  22. cold — an illness
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bark — of a tree

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