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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: current · rash · rock · hide · wake · roll · row · bark

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rash — a series
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. row — a line
  5. rock — music
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wake — a trail
  8. roll — a list
  9. current — electric
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. row — to paddle
  14. current — of water
  15. rock — a stone
  16. current — happening now
  17. rash — hasty
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rash — on the skin

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