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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bound — tied together
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. prune — to trim
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. current — of water
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bark — to shout
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. field — a subject
  20. pound — a weight
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — farmland
  23. saw — the tool
  24. field — for sport

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