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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. current — happening now
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. current — electric
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. land — a country
  15. fork — in a road
  16. net — in sport
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. current — of water
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. drill — army training
  24. net — for catching

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