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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
468
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: racket · rock · board · bark · land · kid · current · bear

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. board — a committee
  6. land — a country
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bear — the animal
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. current — of water
  15. land — ground
  16. current — happening now
  17. rock — music
  18. bark — to shout
  19. land — to come down
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. current — electric
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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