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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spring — the season
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stem — to come from
  11. board — to get on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rock — a stone
  15. kick — in football
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. board — a committee
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stem — of a plant

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