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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. root — of a word
  3. bulb — for light
  4. current — electric
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — a song
  8. bark — to shout
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. current — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rock — music
  16. current — happening now
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. swing — in golf
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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