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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. current — electric
  4. rush — hurry
  5. net — in sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. current — happening now
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. net — after costs
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. current — of water
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. net — for catching
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fall — to drop
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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