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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cold — an illness
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wind — moving air
  7. can — to be able to
  8. face — part of the head
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. firm — a company
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bark — to shout
  14. firm — decided
  15. face — to confront
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. firm — steady
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. current — electric
  22. can — a tin
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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