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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · stock · stem · clip · drill · roll · rest · chair

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. board — a committee
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. clip — for paper
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rest — a break
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — goods
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. clip — a video
  17. drill — army training
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stock — shares
  20. drill — a practice
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. board — to get on
  24. drill — the tool

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