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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. board — to get on
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. swing — music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. season — of the year
  12. chest — of your body
  13. board — a committee
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. swing — in golf
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rash — a series
  23. season — in sport
  24. swing — to play on

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