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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. current — electric
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — goods
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. current — of water
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bound — obliged
  13. current — happening now
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stock — shares
  20. bound — certain
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bound — tied together

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