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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 120 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: spell · current · court · foot · drill · band · deal · bark

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. current — electric
  3. band — a ring
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. drill — army training
  8. current — happening now
  9. band — a music group
  10. drill — a practice
  11. spell — letters
  12. bark — to shout
  13. deal — to handle
  14. court — of a king
  15. spell — magic
  16. drill — the tool
  17. court — of law
  18. current — of water
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. foot — a measure
  24. deal — an agreement

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