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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wake — a trail
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. hand — help
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — in cards
  17. current — of water
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rock — music
  20. lean — thin
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. current — electric
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rock — a stone

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