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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. current — of water
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wound — an injury
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. club — a group
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. current — electric
  13. stem — to come from
  14. squash — to crush
  15. club — for golf
  16. row — a line
  17. current — happening now
  18. swing — music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. club — for dancing
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. swing — in golf

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