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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: patient · tear · lie · pop · board · current · saw · wake

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pop — music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pop — soda
  6. current — electric
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. board — a committee
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. current — happening now
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pop — to visit
  20. current — of water
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. patient — a sick person

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