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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 116 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: season · bowl · current · bark · dip · lean · court · mine

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lean — thin
  3. current — of water
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. current — electric
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. dip — to sink
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. current — happening now
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. lean — to bend
  20. season — in sport
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. season — of the year
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. mine — for digging

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