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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: ground · bound · spring · current · bark · rock · board · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bound — obliged
  4. current — electric
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. current — happening now
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. board — a committee
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — to get on
  15. spring — a coil
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. ground — the earth
  18. current — of water
  19. ground — a position
  20. spring — the season
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. spring — of water

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