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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — a committee
  3. stem — to come from
  4. branch — a division
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spell — letters
  7. pop — to visit
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. board — to get on
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pop — soda
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. key — in music
  17. pop — music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spell — magic

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