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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. board — a committee
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stem — to come from
  8. board — to get on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. key — for a lock
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wound — an injury
  24. key — in 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