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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 120 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: land · bound · wake · bass · press · bark · content · current

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. land — to come down
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wake — a trail
  5. content — the amount
  6. land — ground
  7. bound — certain
  8. content — happy
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. current — electric
  12. bass — low music
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. press — to push
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. land — a country
  19. bark — to shout
  20. current — happening now
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. current — of water
  24. wake — before a funeral

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