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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: fork · roll · season · rest · bay · clip · current · bark

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fork — in a road
  4. current — of water
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rest — a break
  7. clip — for paper
  8. current — happening now
  9. roll — a list
  10. season — in sport
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. clip — a video
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bark — to shout
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. current — electric
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rest — what's left
  24. season — of the year

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