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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — to get on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. swing — music
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. stem — to come from
  24. swing — in golf

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