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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: wind · kid · leaves · bear · current · lie · board · cold

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. board — to get on
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — a committee
  10. bear — the animal
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wind — moving air
  14. current — of water
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. kid — child
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cold — an illness
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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