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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. current — electric
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. current — happening now
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. object — to protest
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. object — an aim
  14. craft — boats
  15. object — a thing
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. degree — temperature
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. current — of water
  24. craft — a skill

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