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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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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: fan · mine · lie · bound · arm · stem · face · board

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. board — to get on
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bound — obliged
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bound — certain
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bound — tied together
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. face — to confront
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. face — part of the head
  23. board — a committee
  24. stem — to come from

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