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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bear — the animal
  6. current — happening now
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. clip — a video
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. current — of water
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. current — electric
  14. tube — a container
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rash — hasty
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. bound — certain

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