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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. net — for catching
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. mug — a face
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. track — to keep track
  13. net — after costs
  14. track — a path
  15. mug — a cup
  16. spell — a short time
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — letters
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — magic
  21. net — in sport
  22. mug — to rob
  23. board — to get on
  24. track — a song

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