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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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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 · firm · spring · cue · stem · scale · rash · branch

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. board — to get on
  2. rash — hasty
  3. board — a committee
  4. cue — a signal
  5. firm — a company
  6. scale — in music
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. branch — a division
  11. stem — to come from
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. firm — decided
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rash — a series
  19. spring — the season
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spring — a coil
  22. firm — steady
  23. spring — of water
  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