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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. present — the time now
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. track — a path
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. board — to get on
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. degree — an amount
  11. track — to keep track
  12. degree — temperature
  13. spring — of water
  14. kick — in football
  15. stem — to come from
  16. track — a song
  17. board — a committee
  18. wind — moving air
  19. present — a gift
  20. degree — from a university
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spring — the season
  24. present — there

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