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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bank — of a river
  3. field — for sport
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. spell — letters
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bank — for money
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — a short time
  11. perch — the fish
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cell — in biology
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bank — for money
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. board — a committee
  21. drill — army training
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. spell — magic
  24. field — farmland

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