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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. field — farmland
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. scale — size or range
  13. field — a subject
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. field — for sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. scale — in music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. hide — animal skin

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