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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. current — happening now
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. current — of water
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bound — certain
  15. bear — the animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. current — electric
  20. kid — child
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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