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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. current — happening now
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bark — to shout
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. bass — low music
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. current — electric
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. current — of water
  23. fine — all right
  24. fan — a supporter

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