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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: drill · stem · kid · cabinet · face · branch · board · cap

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — a practice
  4. face — to confront
  5. branch — a division
  6. board — to get on
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. face — to point toward
  12. drill — army training
  13. kid — child
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cap — of ice
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. face — part of the head
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cabinet — ministers

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