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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: bark · current · spell · pitch · cap · bear · wound · rock

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — electric
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spell — magic
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. current — happening now
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cap — of ice
  12. current — of water
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bear — the animal

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