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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cue — a signal
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. current — happening now
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. land — ground
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. land — a country
  13. current — electric
  14. tube — the underground
  15. current — of water
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bark — to shout
  21. tube — a container
  22. land — to come down
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cue — a hint

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