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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: coach · bass · rule · wave · clip · degree · board · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. clip — a video
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. current — happening now
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. clip — for paper
  8. board — to get on
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. current — of water
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rule — a law
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rule — government
  18. board — a committee
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. degree — temperature
  24. coach — a trainer

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