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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. clip — for paper
  8. board — a committee
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. key — in music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rock — music
  13. drill — army training
  14. stem — to come from
  15. drill — the tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. key — for a lock
  19. board — to get on
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. drill — a practice
  22. clip — a video
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. key — the most important part

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