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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: row · lie · court · stem · fork · bulb · race · board

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. race — the arms race
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. court — for sport
  8. row — a line
  9. court — of law
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stem — to come from
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — of a king
  20. race — humankind
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. race — a contest
  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