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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · capital · rock · bore · swing · ground · snap · current

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. swing — to play on
  4. capital — money
  5. snap — to click
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rock — a stone
  9. current — of water
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. swing — music
  14. ground — a position
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rock — music
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bore — to drill
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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