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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · face · wake · staff · drill · band · current · bark

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. drill — a practice
  6. band — a ring
  7. staff — employees
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — army training
  11. current — electric
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. face — to confront
  14. drill — the tool
  15. current — happening now
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cell — a phone
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. band — a music group
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cell — in biology
  24. face — to point toward

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