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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: kick · dip · current · land · branch · bark · coach · cap

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. land — to come down
  3. current — of water
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — a country
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. land — ground
  17. branch — a division
  18. bark — to shout
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. cap — a hat
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cap — of ice
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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