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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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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. capital — money
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stem — to come from
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. chip — for betting
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. clip — for paper
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. capital — a city
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. chip — to eat
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. clip — a video
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. board — to get on
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. coach — a trainer

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