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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lean — thin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bark — to shout
  5. clip — a video
  6. current — of water
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. current — electric
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rash — a series
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — happening now
  23. clip — to cut
  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