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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. bank — for money
  7. land — to come down
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spell — a short time
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bank — for money
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. file — a tool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bank — of a river
  21. land — a country
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. land — ground

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