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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. board — to get on
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cap — a hat
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. squash — the sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fork — in a road
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rash — hasty
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rash — a series
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. board — a committee
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cap — of ice
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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