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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: cap · saw · rock · tear · cell · board · stock · current

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rock — music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. current — electric
  6. board — to get on
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. current — happening now
  16. cell — a phone
  17. current — of water
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cap — a lid
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rock — a stone

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