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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: stem · board · rule · mark · fall · rest · fine · capital

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. board — to get on
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rule — government
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fall — the season
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fine — all right
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. capital — money
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fine — high quality
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fall — to drop
  20. capital — a city
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rule — a law
  24. rest — a break

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