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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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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: clip · march · calf · bark · board · bass · current · rush

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. march — music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. rush — hurry
  9. march — the month
  10. bass — low music
  11. current — electric
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. march — the month
  20. bark — to shout
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bark — of a tree
  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