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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: cold · board · drill · roll · track · prune · current · face

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cold — an illness
  6. current — happening now
  7. roll — a list
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — a path
  11. cold — not warm
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. current — of water
  18. board — to get on
  19. current — electric
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — the tool
  24. face — to confront

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