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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: stem · arm · board · race · scale · coach · pound · bear

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. board — a committee
  7. stem — to come from
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. race — a contest
  13. bear — the animal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. board — to get on
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pound — a weight
  24. arm — a part of something

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