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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: current · pitch · lash · land · bark · coach · can · snap

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. current — electric
  4. can — a tin
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. land — a country
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. snap — to click
  11. current — happening now
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. land — to come down
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. can — a tin
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. can — to be able to
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. current — of water
  24. pitch — completely

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