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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wake — a trail
  4. firm — a company
  5. club — a group
  6. firm — steady
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. board — to get on
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. firm — decided
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. board — a committee
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. club — for dancing
  24. mine — for digging

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