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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 116 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: bark · present · current · press · nail · season · hand · rash

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. season — of the year
  7. current — happening now
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. season — in sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. hand — in cards
  14. press — to push
  15. bark — to shout
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rash — a series
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. current — electric
  21. hand — help
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. present — the time now
  24. 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