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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pop — soda
  5. toast — bread
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. current — of water
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pop — music
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bark — to shout
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. saw — the tool
  15. current — electric
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. current — happening now
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pop — to visit

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