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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. board — a committee
  5. spring — of water
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. board — to get on
  8. race — humankind
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. race — a contest
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. spring — the season
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. branch — a division
  24. spring — a coil

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