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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
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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: snap · scale · pop · bound · rush · current · bark · stock

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. current — of water
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. current — happening now
  5. pop — soda
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stock — goods
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stock — shares
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. current — electric
  17. snap — to click
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. scale — in music
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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