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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. suit — to fit
  4. board — a committee
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. object — an aim
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. spring — the season
  10. stem — to come from
  11. board — to get on
  12. season — of the year
  13. wind — moving air
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. spring — of water
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. suit — in cards
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. season — in sport
  22. suit — clothes
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stem — of a plant

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