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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 · straw · march · saw · rock · spring · bark · bound

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bound — certain
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — a coil
  8. current — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rock — music
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. current — happening now
  14. spring — of water
  15. march — music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bound — tied together
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. march — the month
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. current — electric

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