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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. current — happening now
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — to recline
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. snap — to click
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. branch — a division
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. board — to get on
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. current — of water
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. prune — to trim
  20. current — electric
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — the fruit

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