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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: firm · stem · file · saw · lean · cell · game · board

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. game — a match
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. firm — steady
  5. saw — the tool
  6. firm — a company
  7. board — to get on
  8. lean — thin
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. file — a tool
  13. board — a committee
  14. firm — decided
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. file — a document
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. file — a line of people

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