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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: press · current · bound · deal · wound · bark · rule · coach

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. current — happening now
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. current — electric
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. deal — to handle
  9. press — to push
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. current — of water
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rule — government
  14. bound — tied together
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bound — certain
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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