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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. prune — to trim
  5. court — of a king
  6. race — the arms race
  7. court — for sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. prune — to trim
  12. race — a contest
  13. stem — to come from
  14. content — happy
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. race — humankind
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. court — of law
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. foot — a measure
  22. content — the amount
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. trunk — of a tree

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