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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 124 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. shower — rain
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. mine — for digging
  23. last — to go on
  24. current — happening now

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