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

Word bank: bark · kid · fall · pit · staff · bear · current · arm

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. current — of water
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — child
  8. staff — a stick
  9. current — happening now
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fall — the season
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pit — in a race
  19. staff — employees
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bear — the animal
  24. arm — a part of something

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