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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 116 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: board · can · tear · cap · lie · face · current · row

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. current — of water
  3. cap — a hat
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — part of the head
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. tear — from crying
  8. face — to confront
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cap — a lid
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. can — to be able to
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. can — a tin
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. row — a line
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — to paddle
  23. board — a committee
  24. lie — to recline

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