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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — of the year
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bark — to shout
  5. current — of water
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. branch — a division
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fall — the season
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. current — happening now

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