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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: rule · current · spell · bat · hand · bark · mouse · pound

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rule — a law
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. current — happening now
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hand — help
  12. spell — letters
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pound — a weight
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — government
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. current — of water
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pound — for dogs

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