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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. charge — a price
  5. perch — the fish
  6. current — electric
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. charge — in control
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. file — a document
  14. pound — a weight
  15. file — a tool
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. saw — the tool
  18. charge — electricity
  19. staff — employees
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a line of people
  24. perch — for a bird

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