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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: branch · perch · field · racket · ruler · chair · bark · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. current — happening now
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. field — for sport
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. field — a subject
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — farmland
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. current — of water
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. branch — a division
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chair — to sit on

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