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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. season — of the year
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. season — in sport
  20. file — a document
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. file — a tool
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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