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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: board · fan · root · current · season · file · trunk · can

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. current — electric
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. season — of the year
  5. current — happening now
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. root — of a word
  13. can — to be able to
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. file — a tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. current — of water
  20. file — a document
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. can — a tin
  24. file — a line of people

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