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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: arm · bear · bark · content · net · sharp · stem · current

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. net — after costs
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. current — of water
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. content — the amount
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bark — to shout
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. net — in sport
  12. content — happy
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. net — for catching
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — happening now
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. current — electric

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