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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: roll · cold · bound · current · rock · file · wound · board

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. current — electric
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bound — certain
  5. board — a committee
  6. rock — music
  7. current — of water
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. current — happening now
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. bound — obliged
  14. roll — a list
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — tied together
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cold — the Cold War

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