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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. board — to get on
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. row — a line
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. chest — of your body
  10. scale — size or range
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. chest — a box
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bark — to shout
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lean — thin
  21. scale — in music
  22. board — a committee
  23. rock — music
  24. lean — to bend

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