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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. field — farmland
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — in biology
  7. board — to get on
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. field — for sport
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stock — goods
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stock — shares
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. field — a subject
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cell — a phone

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