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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wax — to grow
  5. season — of the year
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. current — happening now
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cell — in biology
  23. board — a committee
  24. season — 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