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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stem — to come from
  3. board — to get on
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wound — an injury
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. band — a music group
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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