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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. tube — a container
  6. current — of water
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. current — electric
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. board — to get on
  11. lean — thin
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. degree — temperature
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. hand — in cards
  19. degree — from a university
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tube — the underground
  22. hand — help
  23. degree — an amount
  24. current — happening now

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