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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mate — to breed
  6. current — electric
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. mate — a friend
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bark — to shout
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — a thing
  17. mate — a partner
  18. object — an aim
  19. rush — hurry
  20. scale — in music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — music
  24. lean — thin

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