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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bound — obliged
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. current — of water
  5. bound — tied together
  6. last — final
  7. snap — to click
  8. bound — certain
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. last — to go on
  12. stand — to bear
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. last — finally
  19. rash — a series
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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