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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: bass · drill · board · wave · current · rash · prune · stand

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — hasty
  3. current — electric
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. board — to get on
  7. current — of water
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rash — a series
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. current — happening now
  12. board — a committee
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bass — low music
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. prune — to trim

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