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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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Word bank
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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: game · board · rash · stem · mouse · arm · capital · roll

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. board — a committee
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — wild animals
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. rash — a series
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. board — to get on
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. capital — a city
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rash — hasty
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  24. game — a match

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