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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. degree — an amount
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. current — of water
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. saw — the tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. degree — from a university

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