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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. chair — a leader
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chest — a box
  5. bark — to shout
  6. current — of water
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chest — of your body
  16. current — electric
  17. snap — to click
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. current — happening now

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