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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. stem — to come from
  3. band — a music group
  4. craft — boats
  5. board — a committee
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. row — to paddle
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. spring — the season
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. row — a line
  16. spring — a coil
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. spring — of water
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. board — to get on
  23. craft — a skill
  24. stem — a stem cell

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