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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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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: wave · current · last · bark · swing · bowl · pit · kid

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. current — of water
  3. kid — to tease
  4. last — finally
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. swing — in golf
  7. kid — child
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. swing — to play on
  13. current — electric
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. last — to go on
  18. swing — music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. current — happening now
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. last — final

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