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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. tube — a container
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cue — a hint
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — to come down
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. land — a country
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cue — for pool
  22. current — electric
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cabinet — ministers

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