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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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468
Word bank
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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: leaves · season · current · bark · board · field · chip · lie

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. current — of water
  10. field — farmland
  11. lie — to recline
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. season — of the year
  16. chip — to eat
  17. board — a committee
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bark — to shout
  20. season — in sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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