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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: track · club · board · leaves · season · stem · pop · rest

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rest — what's left
  4. track — to keep track
  5. board — a committee
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rest — a break
  8. stem — to come from
  9. board — to get on
  10. pop — music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. season — of the year
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rest — what's left
  19. season — in sport
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pop — soda
  22. track — a path
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pop — to visit

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