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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fork — in a road
  6. current — electric
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — of water
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. staff — employees
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. current — happening now
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. spring — a coil
  20. current — of water
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spring — the season
  23. row — a line
  24. dip — to sink

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