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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. lean — thin
  3. drill — army training
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — soda
  9. spring — the season
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pop — music
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. drill — a practice
  21. spring — of water
  22. board — a committee
  23. lean — to bend
  24. spring — a coil

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