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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bark — to shout
  6. current — electric
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. row — a line
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rock — music
  14. current — happening now
  15. rash — hasty
  16. current — of water
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — a series
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wind — to turn a key

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