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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rock — music
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. current — of water
  5. cue — a hint
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cue — for pool
  12. current — happening now
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. current — electric
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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