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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pop — music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. current — happening now
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. current — electric
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. current — of water
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. band — a music group
  20. pop — soda
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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