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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — for digging
  4. current — of water
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. current — happening now
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fork — in a road
  15. current — electric
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mine — an explosive

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