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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: game · fork · pound · ground · current · bark · bulb · suit

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. game — a match
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — in a road
  10. ground — a position
  11. pound — a weight
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. suit — to fit
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. current — of water
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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