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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. current — electric
  7. scale — in music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. current — happening now
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. current — of water
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rush — hurry
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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