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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. board — a committee
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. clip — a video
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. board — to get on
  8. shower — to wash
  9. staff — a stick
  10. current — electric
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. shower — rain
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. current — happening now
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. staff — employees
  21. current — of water
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. leaves — to go away

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