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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — a practice
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. drill — army training
  8. current — happening now
  9. sharp — clever
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. staff — employees
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. current — of water
  24. staff — a stick

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