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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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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: chair · wound · capital · pound · current · lash · stick · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — electric
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. current — happening now
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bark — to shout
  11. capital — money
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. current — of water
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pound — to hit hard

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