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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 116 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: spring · board · bat · fork · current · key · bark · firm

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. firm — decided
  4. key — for a lock
  5. current — electric
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. key — in music
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. current — of water
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. firm — steady
  17. current — happening now
  18. firm — a company
  19. spring — the season
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. spring — 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