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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 120 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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. board — to get on
  3. craft — boats
  4. stem — to come from
  5. field — a subject
  6. land — ground
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. field — farmland
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. land — to come down
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chest — of your body
  15. land — a country
  16. ball — a dance
  17. board — a committee
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chest — a box
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. field — for sport
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. board — a flat piece

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