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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. spring — the season
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. current — electric
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. current — happening now
  23. spring — of water
  24. hand — in cards

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