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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: snap · key · pass · capital · current · file · bark · tear

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. file — a document
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. file — a line of people
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. tear — from crying
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. snap — to click
  10. capital — a city
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bark — to shout
  17. key — in music
  18. file — a tool
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. current — happening now
  22. pass — a permit
  23. current — electric
  24. tear — from crying

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