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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. board — a committee
  5. land — to come down
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. land — a country
  11. bound — tied together
  12. board — to get on
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rock — a stone
  17. fall — to drop
  18. land — ground
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. fall — the season
  22. content — the amount
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rock — music

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