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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. current — happening now
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. current — electric
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kid — child
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bark — to shout
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. current — of water

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