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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: bulb · current · track · chair · bowl · bark · cap · land

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. land — to come down
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. track — a song
  12. current — of water
  13. land — ground
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bulb — for light
  18. land — a country
  19. track — a path
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bulb — of a plant

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