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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. current — electric
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bark — to shout
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. current — of water
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. key — for a lock
  12. current — happening now
  13. scale — size or range
  14. saw — the tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — to come from
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. face — to point toward
  24. scale — in music

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