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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spring — of water
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. capital — money
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spring — the season
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. capital — a city
  16. current — electric
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cell — a phone
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. current — of water
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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