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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. current — electric
  3. pop — to visit
  4. staff — employees
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pop — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. pop — soda
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. current — happening now
  16. wound — an injury
  17. staff — employees
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. current — of water
  24. staff — a stick

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