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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rock — music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stem — to come from
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. race — the arms race
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. shower — rain
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. board — to get on
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. shower — to wash
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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