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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. firm — decided
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stem — to come from
  5. press — a publisher
  6. band — a music group
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. band — a ring
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. firm — a company
  15. press — newspapers
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. press — to push
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ground — the earth
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. firm — steady

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