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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bass — low music
  3. spell — letters
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. board — a committee
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fall — the season
  11. charge — in control
  12. board — to get on
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spell — a short time
  16. charge — a price
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — magic
  19. charge — electricity
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fall — to drop

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