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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bark — to shout
  3. current — electric
  4. club — for dancing
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. club — a group
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. current — happening now
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. current — of water
  17. club — for golf
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. charge — in control
  24. prune — to trim

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