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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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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: toast · bark · deal · present · kid · current · snap · mine

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. current — electric
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mine — for digging
  13. present — the time now
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. kid — to tease
  16. toast — bread
  17. current — of water
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. current — happening now
  22. present — a gift
  23. snap — to click
  24. deal — an agreement

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