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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. spring — the season
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. press — a publisher
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bark — to shout
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spring — of water
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. press — to push
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. jam — in traffic

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