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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cell — a phone
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. board — a committee
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — an amount
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — of the year
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cell — in biology
  19. degree — temperature
  20. board — to get on
  21. season — in sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. degree — from a university

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