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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. content — happy
  3. rash — a series
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rash — hasty
  6. land — to come down
  7. content — the amount
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. board — to get on
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. land — ground
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stem — to come from
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. land — a country
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rash — on the skin

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