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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rock — music
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. current — electric
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. clip — a video
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bore — to drill
  11. clip — to cut
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bark — to shout
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. current — happening now
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rock — a stone
  24. clip — for paper

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