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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: wind · wave · rash · bark · can · current · bound · branch

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bound — certain
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rash — a series
  9. wind — moving air
  10. current — happening now
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bound — obliged
  17. current — electric
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. can — a tin
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. current — of water
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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