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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. current — of water
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fall — the season
  7. bank — for money
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. mark — a grade
  11. row — to paddle
  12. squash — the sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fall — to drop
  19. current — electric
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bank — for money
  22. row — a line
  23. board — to get on
  24. fall — to drop

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