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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. current — electric
  3. spring — of water
  4. bark — to shout
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — the season
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. current — happening now
  12. deal — to handle
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rash — hasty
  15. current — of water
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spring — a coil
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. prune — to trim

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