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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. current — electric
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — letters
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bark — to shout
  10. spell — magic
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. face — to point toward
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wake — a trail
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. current — happening now
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wake — before a funeral

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