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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. field — for sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. board — to get on
  13. squash — the sport
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. squash — to crush
  17. kick — in football
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spell — magic
  20. stem — to come from
  21. field — farmland
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. field — a subject

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