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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. current — happening now
  3. firm — decided
  4. band — a ring
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. season — of the year
  7. current — of water
  8. firm — a company
  9. bark — to shout
  10. band — a music group
  11. firm — steady
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wake — a trail
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. root — of a plant
  19. staff — employees
  20. root — of a word
  21. current — electric
  22. root — the cause
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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