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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fork — in a road
  6. current — of water
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mate — a friend
  10. net — in sport
  11. shower — to wash
  12. current — electric
  13. roll — a list
  14. mate — a partner
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. shower — rain
  19. mate — to breed
  20. net — after costs
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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