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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pop — soda
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. race — a contest
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pop — to visit
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. toast — bread
  10. ball — a great time
  11. race — humankind
  12. stem — to come from
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ball — a dance
  16. branch — a division
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. board — to get on
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pop — music
  24. stem — of a plant

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