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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bound — certain
  5. last — finally
  6. ground — the earth
  7. club — for golf
  8. board — a committee
  9. last — final
  10. ground — a position
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bound — tied together
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. club — a group
  16. rock — a stone
  17. club — for dancing
  18. last — to go on
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rock — music

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