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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. current — happening now
  3. bark — to shout
  4. perch — the fish
  5. current — electric
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. tear — to rip
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. current — of water
  20. tear — from crying
  21. drill — army training
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. drill — the tool

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