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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. stand — to bear
  3. object — to protest
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bank — of a river
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — of water
  16. scale — in music
  17. current — of water
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spring — the season
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. current — happening now
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. object — an aim

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