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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. board — a committee
  5. season — of the year
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. stem — to come from
  14. can — a tin
  15. board — to get on
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bear — the animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. last — to go on
  20. bear — the animal
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bear — to put up with

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