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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. file — a tool
  3. board — a committee
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stem — to come from
  7. file — a line of people
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. board — to get on
  10. file — a document
  11. swing — music
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rash — hasty
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rash — a series
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. sharp — clever
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. swing — to play on
  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