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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 120 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: current · staff · stock · rash · bass · bark

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. stock — shares
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stock — goods
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bark — to shout
  12. current — happening now
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bass — low music
  15. current — electric
  16. staff — employees
  17. current — of water
  18. rash — hasty

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