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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. march — music
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stem — to come from
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. current — happening now
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cap — a lid
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. kid — child

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