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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. content — happy
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. current — electric
  10. content — the amount
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stem — to come from
  20. current — of water
  21. pit — in a race
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. content — videos and posts

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