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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: board · tear · band · kick · perch · straw · cue · current

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. kick — in football
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a signal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. board — a committee
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. current — happening now
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. current — electric
  12. perch — the fish
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cue — for pool
  15. band — a ring
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tear — from crying
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. current — of water
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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