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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · rash · board · current · mate · perch · stick · trunk

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. face — to confront
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. face — to point toward
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. board — a committee
  9. mate — to breed
  10. face — part of the head
  11. current — happening now
  12. perch — the fish
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rash — hasty
  15. current — electric
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. board — to get on
  22. rash — a series
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — a flat piece

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