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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: band · stand · bark · spring · current · pitch · sharp · straw

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. current — of water
  4. band — a music group
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. sharp — clever
  13. current — electric
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. current — happening now
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. spring — of water
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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