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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. content — happy
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. lean — to bend
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mine — for digging
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. scale — in music
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. content — the amount
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cue — for pool

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