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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fall — the season
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — a position
  9. mug — to rob
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — a container
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — of water
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mug — a face
  23. fall — to drop
  24. saw — 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