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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. last — final
  4. cap — a hat
  5. last — to go on
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cap — of ice
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rock — a stone
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. board — a committee
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bat — the animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — to get on
  20. last — finally
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rock — music
  24. bat — for baseball

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