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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 · row · rush · bass · spell · board · court · field

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. row — to paddle
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. spell — letters
  6. court — of law
  7. row — a line
  8. field — a subject
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. field — farmland
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bass — the fish
  13. board — a committee
  14. bass — low music
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stem — to come from
  17. court — of a king
  18. rush — hurry
  19. field — for sport
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. board — to get on
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. court — for sport
  24. stem — a stem cell

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