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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: bark · lean · land · bear · mark · face · current · net

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. current — happening now
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. land — a country
  8. net — after costs
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. face — to point toward
  11. land — ground
  12. lean — to bend
  13. current — electric
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. land — to come down
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. current — of water
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. face — part of the head

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