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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ground — crushed
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ground — a position
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. file — a line of people
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. current — of water
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. file — a document
  15. current — electric
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bark — to shout
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. file — a tool
  20. foot — a measure
  21. current — happening now
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. spell — a short time

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