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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. board — to get on
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. track — a song
  9. pass — a permit
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mate — a friend
  12. board — a committee
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mate — to breed
  15. track — to keep track
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. track — a path
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mate — a partner
  22. root — the cause
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. root — of a word

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