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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. current — of water
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. object — to protest
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. current — happening now
  7. object — an aim
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. current — electric
  19. object — a thing
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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