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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. drill — the tool
  3. current — of water
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. drill — a practice
  11. roll — a cake
  12. current — electric
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tube — a container
  16. roll — a list
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. current — happening now
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. tube — the underground
  23. drill — army training
  24. bat — for baseball

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