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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 · arm · nail · mine · court · stand · hand · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. court — of a king
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. current — of water
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stand — to bear
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. current — happening now
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. hand — in cards
  18. court — of law
  19. current — electric
  20. bark — to shout
  21. court — for sport
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. nail — for a hammer

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