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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: board · stem · cabinet · perch · spring · staff · game · row

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. 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. spring — of water
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. game — a match
  6. stem — to come from
  7. staff — a stick
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. perch — the fish
  10. row — to paddle
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. staff — employees
  15. board — a committee
  16. row — a line
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. game — wild animals
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. staff — employees
  22. spring — the season
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. 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