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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · board · kid · drill · rule · stem

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. 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. rule — to rule out
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rule — a law
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. board — to get on
  8. stem — to come from
  9. board — a committee
  10. rule — government
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. drill — the tool
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. 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