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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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 — to get on
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. charge — in control
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. charge — electricity
  13. board — a committee
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. charge — a price
  19. cell — a phone
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — in biology
  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