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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. present — a gift
  5. bark — to shout
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. spring — of water
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. present — the time now
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spring — the season
  19. pound — a weight
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. row — to paddle
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. row — a line
  24. present — there

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