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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. suit — clothes
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bark — to shout
  6. current — electric
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. current — happening now
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — a line
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. row — to paddle
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cold — not warm
  23. current — of water
  24. fork — a garden tool

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