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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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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: bark · ground · season · current · mug · mate · lean · dip

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lean — to bend
  3. current — electric
  4. ground — a position
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. current — of water
  7. mug — a cup
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mate — a friend
  11. current — happening now
  12. season — in sport
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. season — of the year
  17. mate — to breed
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ground — crushed
  23. dip — to sink
  24. season — to add flavour

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