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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: present · stick · field · race · current · bark · fall · bank

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. current — electric
  5. race — humankind
  6. bark — to shout
  7. current — happening now
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — to drop
  10. present — the time now
  11. field — a subject
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bank — for money
  14. fall — the season
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — farmland
  19. race — a contest
  20. field — for sport
  21. race — the arms race
  22. current — of water
  23. present — there
  24. bark — of a tree

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