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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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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: tube · current · calf · hand · board · face · clip · plane

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. face — to confront
  3. current — happening now
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. hand — help
  6. clip — for paper
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. current — electric
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hand — in cards
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. tube — a container
  15. board — a committee
  16. face — part of the head
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. board — to get on
  20. clip — to cut
  21. plane — a tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. current — of water
  24. face — to point toward

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