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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 120 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wake — a trail
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. land — ground
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. snap — to click
  11. squash — to crush
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mate — a friend
  14. board — a committee
  15. stem — to come from
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. land — to come down
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. land — a country
  21. drill — a practice
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. drill — army training

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