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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: can · board · file · bark · row · current · wake · season

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. board — a committee
  3. file — a document
  4. row — to paddle
  5. can — a tin
  6. current — happening now
  7. can — to be able to
  8. season — of the year
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. current — electric
  11. bark — to shout
  12. current — of water
  13. row — a line
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. file — a line of people
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. board — to get on
  24. season — in sport

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