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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: band · land · current · stock · key · rock · scale · bark

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. key — in music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. land — a country
  6. stock — shares
  7. rock — music
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. band — a ring
  11. current — happening now
  12. key — for a lock
  13. band — a music group
  14. rock — a stone
  15. scale — size or range
  16. key — the most important part
  17. land — to come down
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. land — ground
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stock — goods
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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