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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
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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: wound · bay · band · fine · court · straw · current · bark

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. current — electric
  4. court — of a king
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bark — to shout
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wound — an injury
  19. band — a ring
  20. fine — all right
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. band — a music group
  23. current — of water
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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