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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 · object · mark · rash · bark · band · pop · firm

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. band — a ring
  3. current — of water
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pop — soda
  6. rash — hasty
  7. firm — steady
  8. band — a music group
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. rash — a series
  14. mark — a grade
  15. firm — a company
  16. object — a thing
  17. current — happening now
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. current — electric
  22. firm — decided
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pop — music

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