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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. current — electric
  5. land — a country
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bark — to shout
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. land — ground
  24. snap — to click

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