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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: cold · season · dip · branch · board · current · shower · firm

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. current — happening now
  3. season — in sport
  4. shower — rain
  5. firm — a company
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. board — a committee
  9. cold — an illness
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. firm — decided
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. season — of the year
  15. firm — steady
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. current — of water
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. branch — a division
  21. dip — to sink
  22. current — electric
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cold — not warm

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