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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stem — to come from
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bore — to tire
  7. content — happy
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wound — an injury
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. content — the amount
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wound — an injury
  19. current — happening now
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. swing — music
  22. current — of water
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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