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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bowl · scale · band · hide · mine · bark · kid

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. current — of water
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. scale — in music
  8. band — a music group
  9. current — happening now
  10. kid — to tease
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. current — electric
  20. kid — child
  21. band — a ring
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bowl — to roll

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