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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. board — to get on
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spell — letters
  6. net — after costs
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. spell — magic
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. current — of water
  17. spell — a short time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. net — for catching
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. board — a committee
  24. net — in sport

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