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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chest — a box
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stock — goods
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. game — wild animals
  7. board — a committee
  8. game — a match
  9. stock — shares
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. chest — of your body

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