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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. season — of the year
  3. tube — the underground
  4. dip — to sink
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — magic
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. current — electric
  12. spell — letters
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tube — a container
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. current — happening now
  19. season — in sport
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bark — to shout
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. spell — a short time

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