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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 · net · face · wound · current · wave · pop · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. face — part of the head
  4. clip — a video
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — music
  7. net — for catching
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. face — to confront
  14. board — to get on
  15. net — in sport
  16. current — of water
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. current — electric
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. face — to point toward
  21. current — happening now
  22. clip — to cut
  23. net — after costs
  24. board — a committee

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