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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pit — a hole
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. current — happening now
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — from a university
  8. march — the month
  9. pit — in a race
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. current — electric
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bark — to shout

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