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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rash · hand · wave · bark · wound · spring · stock

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hand — in cards
  3. current — of water
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hand — help
  6. stock — goods
  7. spring — the season
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rash — a series
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spring — of water
  14. stock — shares
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — hasty
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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