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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 116 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: board · spring · saw · content · bark · lie · cabinet · current

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lie — to recline
  3. current — happening now
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. content — the amount
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bark — to shout
  11. board — a committee
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spring — of water
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. board — to get on
  23. current — electric
  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