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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · bat · current · prune · chair · bear · bark · tube

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. current — electric
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wake — a trail
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bark — to shout
  11. prune — to trim
  12. current — of water
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. current — happening now
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bat — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bear — the animal

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