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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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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 · hand · bark · pass · swing · bank · stock · roll

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bark — to shout
  5. current — of water
  6. bank — for money
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. hand — help
  13. roll — a list
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bank — of a river
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bank — for money
  19. stock — shares
  20. swing — music
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pass — a permit

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