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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: mouse · current · straw · sharp · cabinet · bark · roll · stand

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stand — to bear
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. current — happening now
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. current — electric
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. roll — a cake
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. roll — a list
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. current — of water

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