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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 got himself in a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. field — farmland
  4. current — electric
  5. last — final
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. field — a subject
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. face — to point toward
  11. last — to go on
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. field — for sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. face — to confront
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. bark — to shout
  20. last — finally
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. foot — the bottom

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