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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. capital — a city
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. current — happening now
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. lean — thin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. current — of water
  23. capital — money
  24. pitcher — a jug

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