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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — the season
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. current — electric
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. court — for sport
  10. game — wild animals
  11. current — happening now
  12. spring — a coil
  13. game — a match
  14. spring — of water
  15. court — of a king
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bulb — for light
  22. current — of water
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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