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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spell — magic
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. dip — to sink
  7. charge — a price
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. perch — the fish
  14. current — happening now
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. current — of water
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. current — electric
  23. charge — in control
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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