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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bark — to shout
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. current — electric
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bound — obliged
  9. present — a gift
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bound — tied together
  14. current — of water
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. capital — a city
  18. snap — to click
  19. perch — the fish
  20. current — happening now
  21. present — the time now
  22. capital — money
  23. bound — certain
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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