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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. current — happening now
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — in sport
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lean — thin
  16. bark — to shout
  17. season — of the year
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bound — certain
  24. net — in sport

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