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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: stem · board · ground · game · date · cap · lean · present

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. present — there
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. board — to get on
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. present — the time now
  14. ground — the earth
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ground — a position
  18. lean — thin
  19. present — a gift
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. ground — crushed
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cap — a hat
  24. board — a committee

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