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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: bark · band · foot · current · ground · clip · pop · swing

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pop — music
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. swing — music
  5. band — a ring
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pop — to visit
  8. current — happening now
  9. band — a music group
  10. pop — soda
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. clip — a video
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. swing — to play on
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. ground — a position
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. swing — in golf
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. foot — a measure

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