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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. club — for golf
  5. firm — decided
  6. current — electric
  7. craft — a skill
  8. firm — steady
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. current — of water
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. field — farmland
  13. current — happening now
  14. field — for sport
  15. club — for dancing
  16. firm — a company
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — a group
  21. craft — boats
  22. present — the time now
  23. field — a subject
  24. wind — moving air

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