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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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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: tear · board · bass · branch · current · trunk · chair · leaves

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — electric
  3. tear — to rip
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bass — low music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chair — a leader
  15. branch — a division
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tear — from crying
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. board — to get on

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