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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: temple · jam · court · bark · current · bear · lie · spring

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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 — electric
  2. spring — of water
  3. court — for sport
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. current — happening now
  9. court — of a king
  10. bear — the animal
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — of water
  16. court — of law
  17. lie — to recline
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  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