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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. row — to paddle
  3. charge — in control
  4. wound — an injury
  5. clip — to cut
  6. current — electric
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. current — happening now
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. can — a tin
  13. charge — electricity
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — a line
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bark — to shout
  18. can — to be able to
  19. current — of water
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — a video
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. charge — a price

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