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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: cabinet · craft · pound · bark · hide · field · rash · current

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. craft — boats
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. craft — a skill
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rash — a series
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — hasty
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. hide — to keep secret

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