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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.

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: content · bark · tear · stick · march · fan · wake · current

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. current — happening now
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — happy
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. march — music
  13. current — of water
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wake — a trail
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. current — electric
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — the amount
  23. tear — to rip
  24. march — the month

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