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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 · bark · fine · bat · season · face · bound · leaves

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fine — high quality
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. season — of the year
  9. face — to confront
  10. bound — certain
  11. bat — the animal
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. face — to point toward
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bound — obliged
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fine — all right
  21. current — of water
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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