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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 · deal · current · press · object · prune · cold · scale

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. object — to protest
  6. scale — size or range
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. board — to get on
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. current — of water
  13. scale — in music
  14. cold — an illness
  15. board — a committee
  16. deal — to handle
  17. current — electric
  18. prune — to trim
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cold — not warm
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. object — an aim

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