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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. net — after costs
  5. scale — in music
  6. net — in sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rock — music
  12. current — happening now
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. current — of water
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bark — to shout
  23. current — electric
  24. scale — size or range

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