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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 · toast · kid · firm · wound · staff · land · bark

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kid — to tease
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. land — a country
  10. kid — child
  11. current — of water
  12. bark — to shout
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. staff — employees
  16. firm — decided
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wound — an injury
  19. toast — bread
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. staff — employees
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. staff — a stick

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