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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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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: wind · board · pitcher · season · stem · lie · race · perch

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — to get on
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stem — to come from
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. season — in sport
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. season — of the year
  18. lie — to recline
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. race — a contest
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. race — humankind

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