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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. spell — magic
  4. current — of water
  5. bark — to shout
  6. spell — letters
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. current — happening now
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — for digging
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. current — electric
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bear — the animal
  22. face — to confront
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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