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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 120 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. current — electric
  8. cap — of ice
  9. branch — a division
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. board — a committee
  14. craft — boats
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. suit — clothes
  21. board — to get on
  22. bat — the animal
  23. craft — a skill
  24. branch — of a bank

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