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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. club — for golf
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stem — to come from
  5. tube — a container
  6. board — to get on
  7. chest — a box
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. club — a group
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chest — of your body
  15. suit — clothes
  16. club — for dancing
  17. suit — in cards
  18. key — for a lock
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. suit — to fit
  24. stem — of a plant

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