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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. current — of water
  3. spring — of water
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. root — of a plant
  6. current — electric
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. march — the month
  15. root — of a word
  16. fork — in a road
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. march — music
  21. spring — the season
  22. current — happening now
  23. root — the cause
  24. fork — a garden tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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