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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: row · firm · bark · dip · bass · current · stick · pitcher

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. firm — a company
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — of water
  12. firm — decided
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. bark — to shout
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. firm — steady
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — to paddle

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