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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wake — a trail
  3. staff — employees
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — a company
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. staff — employees
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. hand — in cards
  12. firm — decided
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. hand — help
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. current — of water
  23. bark — to shout
  24. current — electric

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