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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bark — to shout
  3. board — a committee
  4. firm — a company
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. board — to get on
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. spring — a coil
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. firm — decided
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. craft — boats
  19. spring — of water
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. firm — steady

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