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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · current · chest · kick · bark · land · content · tube

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — of water
  4. content — the amount
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — electric
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chest — a box
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. land — ground
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. land — to come down
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. land — a country
  20. tube — the underground
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. content — happy
  24. bark — to shout

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