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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. current — electric
  3. track — a path
  4. kid — child
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. track — to keep track
  7. firm — decided
  8. track — a song
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. current — of water
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. current — happening now
  20. land — a country
  21. bark — to shout
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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