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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 got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. net — in sport
  3. kid — child
  4. net — after costs
  5. current — of water
  6. key — the most important part
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. firm — a company
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bark — to shout
  16. key — for a lock
  17. current — electric
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. current — happening now
  20. firm — steady
  21. bound — tied together
  22. key — in music
  23. firm — decided
  24. kid — to tease

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