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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bank — for money
  13. lean — to bend
  14. board — to get on
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. spring — the season
  17. current — happening now
  18. bank — for money
  19. current — electric
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. spring — of water
  23. bank — of a river
  24. current — of water

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