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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. 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. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. land — to come down
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. board — to get on
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. land — ground
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — a country
  18. 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