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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stem — to come from
  7. file — a document
  8. board — to get on
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mug — a face
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. board — a committee
  19. mug — to rob
  20. file — a tool
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. file — a line of people
  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