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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. branch — a division
  6. current — electric
  7. hand — in cards
  8. board — a committee
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hand — help
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. prune — to trim

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