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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: fork · mouse · bark · chest · toast · pit · current · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. current — of water
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — electric
  7. bark — to shout
  8. chest — a box
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. toast — bread
  11. spell — magic
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pit — a hole
  18. current — happening now
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chest — of your body
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mouse — 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