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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. tear — from crying
  8. board — a committee
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. current — electric
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. bank — of a river
  16. current — happening now
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tear — to rip
  19. kid — child
  20. spell — letters
  21. current — of water
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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