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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: swing · current · bark · rest · row · chair · content · spell

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. current — of water
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. row — a line
  11. content — the amount
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. spell — magic
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. content — happy
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. current — happening now
  20. rest — a break
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rest — what's left

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