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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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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 · land · pitcher · roll · root · club · sharp · stem

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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. club — a group
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. land — to come down
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. sharp — clever
  7. land — a country
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. root — the cause
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. board — a committee
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. board — to get on
  14. land — ground
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. club — for golf
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  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