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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rash — a series
  3. field — for sport
  4. present — a gift
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bark — to shout
  8. current — of water
  9. field — a subject
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rash — hasty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. current — happening now
  14. bound — tied together
  15. present — the time now
  16. bound — obliged
  17. field — farmland
  18. face — part of the head
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. present — there
  21. face — to confront
  22. bound — certain
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. trunk — of a car

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