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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: temple · spell · cold · swing · bark · current · club · snap

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. club — a group
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. current — happening now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cold — an illness
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. club — for golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. current — of water
  15. swing — music
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cold — not warm
  19. club — for dancing
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. current — electric
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. snap — to click
  24. spell — letters

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