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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stem — to come from
  4. drill — the tool
  5. ball — a dance
  6. board — a committee
  7. drill — a practice
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. kid — child
  12. season — of the year
  13. current — electric
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kid — to tease
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. season — in sport
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. board — to get on
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. drill — army training

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