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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 116 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: craft · spring · coach · game · board · last · bound · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bound — certain
  3. game — a match
  4. craft — boats
  5. last — to go on
  6. spring — the season
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. board — a committee
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. last — final
  12. board — to get on
  13. craft — a skill
  14. last — finally
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bound — obliged
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — tied together
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spring — of water
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. stem — of a plant

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