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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. current — electric
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. can — to be able to
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. row — a line
  9. mate — a partner
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. can — a tin
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mate — a friend
  16. spring — the season
  17. bark — to shout
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. spring — of water
  24. row — to paddle

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