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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. degree — from a university
  4. club — for golf
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. drill — army training
  7. stem — to come from
  8. drill — the tool
  9. club — a group
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. degree — temperature
  12. can — a tin
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. can — a tin
  18. club — for dancing
  19. can — to be able to
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lie — to recline
  24. drill — a practice

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