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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. board — a committee
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. plane — a tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chest — a box
  7. hand — help
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mate — a partner
  10. board — to get on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chest — of your body
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. current — of water
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chest — of your body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — happening now
  24. mate — to breed

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