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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. current — of water
  5. bat — the animal
  6. current — electric
  7. ball — a great time
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. current — happening now
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fork — in a road
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lean — thin
  24. squash — to crush

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