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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: row · current · kick · band · bore · bark

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. 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. band — a music group
  2. row — a line
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bore — to drill
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. bore — to tire
  13. band — a ring
  14. row — to paddle
  15. current — happening now
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. 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