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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 120 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: content · mark · file · bark · degree · suit · hand · current

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. content — the amount
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. file — a document
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. file — a line of people
  10. current — happening now
  11. degree — from a university
  12. suit — clothes
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. file — a tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. suit — in cards
  21. content — happy
  22. bark — to shout
  23. current — electric
  24. current — 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