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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: pop · bark · cabinet · current · bound · hand · fork · stand

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bound — tied together
  4. current — happening now
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — electric
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pop — music
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. current — of water
  17. bound — obliged
  18. hand — help
  19. pop — to visit
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pop — soda
  22. bound — certain
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fork — in a road

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