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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: lean · board · court · mate · ground · rock · game · stem

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ground — a position
  7. rock — a stone
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rock — music
  10. mate — a partner
  11. ground — crushed
  12. court — of a king
  13. board — to get on
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lean — thin
  17. board — a committee
  18. court — for sport
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mate — a friend
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mate — to breed
  24. court — of law

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