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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. current — electric
  3. root — of a word
  4. shower — rain
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. current — of water
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. chip — to eat
  16. current — happening now
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bark — to shout
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. root — the cause
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fine — all right
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. chip — for betting

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