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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. board — a committee
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mate — a partner
  10. snap — to click
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. season — in sport
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. board — to get on

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