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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: present · racket · hand · plane · dip · current · bark · ground

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hand — in cards
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. ground — crushed
  12. present — a gift
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. current — electric
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. plane — a tool
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bark — to shout
  24. dip — to dunk

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