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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: plane · board · club · shower · bear · season · current · kid

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. shower — to wash
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. club — a group
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. kid — to tease
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. season — in sport
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bear — the animal
  15. board — a committee
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. season — of the year
  19. board — to get on
  20. current — happening now
  21. kid — child
  22. club — for golf
  23. shower — rain
  24. club — for dancing

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