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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. current — electric
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. hand — help
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. ground — a position
  11. current — of water
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stem — to come from
  14. saw — the tool
  15. current — happening now
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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