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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. clip — to cut
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. board — a committee
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. file — a document
  16. pit — in a race
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. current — happening now
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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