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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: tear · jam · last · object · club · bark · chair · current

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. last — final
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. club — for golf
  10. object — to protest
  11. bark — to shout
  12. current — electric
  13. tear — from crying
  14. current — happening now
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. object — an aim
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. club — a group
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. tear — to rip
  21. object — a thing
  22. current — of water
  23. chair — a leader
  24. last — finally

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