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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: drill · rash · current · stock · vault · race · bark · hand

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. current — electric
  3. drill — a practice
  4. race — the arms race
  5. current — happening now
  6. stock — goods
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stock — shares
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. race — a contest
  16. rash — a series
  17. bark — to shout
  18. current — of water
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. race — humankind
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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