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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: bark · court · sharp · pitcher · current · bulb · wound · dip

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bulb — for light
  3. dip — to sink
  4. court — of a king
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. court — for sport
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wound — an injury
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. current — electric
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. court — of law
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. current — of water
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — happening now
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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