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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 120 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 · rock · row · pit · rush · bat · bark · band

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. band — a ring
  4. current — of water
  5. rush — hurry
  6. band — a music group
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. current — happening now
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bat — the animal
  12. current — electric
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rock — music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. row — a line

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