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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. current — of water
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rush — hurry
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. track — a path
  14. deal — to handle
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. track — a song
  18. lean — thin
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — to bend
  22. current — happening now
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. current — electric

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