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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. branch — a division
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cold — not warm
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. board — to get on
  24. hand — help

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