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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. tear — from crying
  3. current — of water
  4. tear — from crying
  5. season — of the year
  6. ball — a dance
  7. board — a committee
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. ball — a great time
  10. current — happening now
  11. board — to get on
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. season — in sport
  16. cell — in biology
  17. current — electric
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. tear — to rip
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. branch — of a tree

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