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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · calf · lean · tear · board · club · rule · clip

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. current — of water
  4. clip — for paper
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rule — government
  7. current — happening now
  8. lean — thin
  9. board — to get on
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tear — from crying
  12. board — a committee
  13. club — for golf
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tear — to rip
  16. club — a group
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. tear — from crying
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. current — electric

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