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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
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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: fork · land · current · trunk · sharp · bark · racket · rash

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. current — electric
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. land — ground
  11. bark — to shout
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. current — happening now
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. current — of water
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rash — a series
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. sharp — with an edge

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