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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.

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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: bowl · root · wind · bat · present · current · press · board

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. board — a committee
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. board — to get on
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. current — of water
  13. present — the time now
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. present — a gift
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — the cause
  18. present — there
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. root — of a word
  21. current — happening now
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. press — newspapers

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