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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 120 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: sharp · bat · ground · current · bank · cap · bark · perch

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. sharp — clever
  3. current — of water
  4. ground — a position
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cap — a hat
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cap — of ice
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ground — crushed
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. bat — the animal
  24. ground — the earth

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