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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: bark · roll · current · bear · kid · snap · pop · scale

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bear — the animal
  3. roll — a list
  4. current — of water
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pop — soda
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. scale — in music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pop — music
  16. bear — the animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. kid — child
  19. scale — size or range
  20. current — electric
  21. pop — to visit
  22. current — happening now
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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