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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: rest · hand · current · object · scale · capital · bark · stock

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. current — of water
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. object — an aim
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. scale — in music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. current — happening now
  11. bark — to shout
  12. object — a thing
  13. rest — a break
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hand — in cards
  16. capital — money
  17. object — to protest
  18. capital — a city
  19. current — electric
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stock — shares
  24. scale — for weighing

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