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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 116 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: rock · current · bark · face · track · pitch · band · wave

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. face — to confront
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rock — a stone
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pitch — completely
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rock — music
  15. current — electric
  16. face — to point toward
  17. band — a music group
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. track — a song
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. track — a path
  23. band — a ring
  24. pitch — a sports field

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