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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. object — an aim
  3. last — to go on
  4. board — a committee
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. season — in sport
  8. board — to get on
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. last — finally
  11. scale — size or range
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. stem — to come from
  20. scale — in music
  21. season — of the year
  22. last — final
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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