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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.

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: bark · ruler · bowl · current · hand · season · wake · march

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. hand — help
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. current — electric
  8. season — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. hand — in cards
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. bark — to shout
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. season — of the year
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. current — of water
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. current — happening now

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