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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. current — electric
  3. fine — all right
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. current — happening now
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. current — of water
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wax — to grow
  19. can — a tin
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. branch — a division
  24. bowl — to roll

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