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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mate — a partner
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fork — in a road
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. current — of water
  19. lie — to recline
  20. current — happening now
  21. mate — a friend
  22. current — electric
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mine — belonging to me

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