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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. squash — the sport
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. field — a subject
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spring — the season
  13. bark — to shout
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. spring — a coil
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. spring — of water
  20. current — of water
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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