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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. drill — army training
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. current — of water
  8. pop — soda
  9. drill — a practice
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bark — to shout
  13. drill — the tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. current — happening now
  16. net — after costs
  17. pop — to visit
  18. kick — in football
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. net — in sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. current — electric
  24. pop — music

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