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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: bowl · drill · bark · racket · band · bear · jam · current

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. drill — army training
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. current — of water
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. current — electric
  13. band — a ring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. current — happening now
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. band — a music group
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bear — the animal
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. drill — a practice

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