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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. spring — the season
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spring — a coil
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — the amount
  14. stem — to come from
  15. content — happy
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. board — to get on
  18. bay — a horse colour

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