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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rest — a break
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cap — a lid
  12. dip — to sink
  13. current — of water
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. current — happening now
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mug — a face
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bark — to shout
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. dip — to dunk

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