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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wax — to grow
  3. current — electric
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. shower — rain
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — happening now
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bark — to shout
  19. charge — in control
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. charge — electricity
  23. shower — to wash
  24. charge — a price

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