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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 · wave · net · pound · bound · tube · bark · wound

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pound — a weight
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — happening now
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. current — of water
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. current — electric
  20. bound — certain
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — for catching
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. tube — a container

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