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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. field — farmland
  2. plane — a tool
  3. board — a committee
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. shower — rain
  7. board — to get on
  8. mark — a grade
  9. field — for sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stand — to bear
  13. current — electric
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. field — a subject
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. current — of water
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. board — a flat piece
  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