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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: board · ground · rash · current · field · shower · mouse · bark

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rash — a series
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — of water
  7. ground — crushed
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. current — happening now
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. shower — rain
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. current — electric
  18. board — a committee
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. board — to get on
  21. ground — a position
  22. field — farmland
  23. ground — the earth
  24. board — a flat piece

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