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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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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: shower · board · spring · stem · stick · leaves · lean · field

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. lean — thin
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. field — farmland
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. shower — rain
  12. field — a subject
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spring — the season
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. spring — of water
  24. field — for sport

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