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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: can · field · wake · sharp · vault · current · kid · bark

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bark — to shout
  6. can — to be able to
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wake — a trail
  9. vault — a safe
  10. current — happening now
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. field — farmland
  13. kid — child
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. current — electric
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. current — of water
  23. field — a subject
  24. sharp — clever

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